Confusion
by Hoshiko13
Summary: Matt and Mello have always had a strong friendship. But will a certain Whammy's boy ruin it?
1. Chapter 1

A/N I accepted this as a challenge from BeyondBirthday93. Now, let's see if I'm any good at writing this kind of stuff. Here goes nothing!

Preface: How life goes on

For all the years they had lived in Whammy's, Mello and Matt had been best friends. Nobody could quite understood why the two were friends. Or, more accurately, nobody could understand how the two stayed in each other's company for more then five minutes without going for each other's throats.

Matt, a boy with red hair and green eyes, often hidden by goggles, was quiet. The only reason he was quiet, however, was because he always spent his time playing a video game. The boy didn't really like reality, so he choose to live in the worlds his video games created for him.

Mello, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He was never afraid to share his opinion, and he made other little children fear him. There fear almost always started the first time they spoke to him. He had long, blond hair. He was almost always seen with a chocolate bar. This lead people to believe he was a girl.

So, after he punched them in the face and screamed at them, they tended to stay far away from him. Matt on the other hand was different. He had barley acknowledged Mello, or anyone else for that matter. It was just stranger for Mello since the two were roommates.

After about a week of being ignored, Mello walked right up to the boy and demanded why he refused to talk. The other boy looked up at him, then back down to his game.

Mello was furious. He grabbed the other boys game, and took off. Matt did not chase after him, which the other boy found strange.

Later that night, when Mello returned to their room to sleep, he got one of his usual chocolate urges. He opened the clothes drawer where he kept a special bar of dark chocolate, only to find that it was gone.

The boy went on a rampage. He tore through every room he had seem the gamer in, before returning to the room. Once he got there, he found a note on his pillow. He growled as he read it.

"If you want your chocolate back, just leave the game on the pillow, and leave the room. Matt."

Mello once again went on a rampage, this time around the room. He searched the closets, behind every piece of furniture, under Matt's bed, to no avail. Finally, with a sigh of defeat, he dropped the video game on the other boys pillow, and left.

About a minute later, he walked back into the room. Then stared in shock at his pillow, which had a bar of chocolate on it.

Blinking, the boy walked over and grabbed the bar, before laying down on his bed. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. Now, if only he could get that beeping out of his head.

Wait a minute. Beeping? Where was beeping of all things coming from. It sounded like. . .

Mello leaned down from his bed and lifted the sheet that dangled off it. Sure enough, a certain red headed gamers was laying there, poking at the buttons on his video game. He glanced at Mello, smiled, then went back to his game.

That's how Mello and Matt became friends. They stayed that way for years. Matt followed Mello throughout all his crazy adventures, even though most of them landed the two into loads of trouble.

Matt and Mello's friendship was never threatened. Nobody dared try to mess with them.

Nobody, that is, besides the new kid.

Near, an albino child, was strange, even by Whammy's standards. All he wore was a soft white pair of pajamas, and he always played with toys. He often made flying and explosions sounds. The boy almost immediately moved up to the number one position, which Mello had occupied until then.

So how could this child ruin Mellow and Matt's friendship? The answer may surprise you, but there is only one way to find out.

I think you all know what that way is.


	2. Chapter 2: New kid

A/N I can see that a few people aren't please with this yet. Don't worry, I already know the end, and I think you guys are going to like it. So please hold off the torches and pitchforks and giant stuffed alligators.

Chapter 1: New kid

Disclaimer: I in no way own anyone. I forgot this last time, didn't I?

Nate River, who would now be known as Near, sighed as the car pulled into the driveway. Looking up at the huge house, the albino child clutched his toy robot closer, and tilted his head. This was the orphanage he would be staying at from now on.

Roger, the man who picked him up, had said he would be staying here because of his intelligence. That the orphanage would be training the next L, the world's greatest detective.

While it was true that Near had always been smarter then the other kids, he doubted that he could be this smart.

The boy had also been told that he wouldn't have classes for a couple of days, so he could settle. The boy had grinned softly at this. Now he could have plenty of time to work on his newest puzzle.

Matt paced the hallways. His video game had died, since a certain chocolate addicted blond had unplugged it. Having asked Mello this, and being told said boy had needed the plug for himself, for reasons Matt had yet to figure out, he couldn't play his game.

Mello was done with whatever he needed, so Matt had started to charge the game. However, the cord was super glued in a way that the game could go far from the outlet, again thanks to a certain blond haired chocolate addict.

Now, as much as Matt wanted to play his game, the last time he laid on the floor to play it while it was charging, he had managed to hurt his neck. He had stayed there so long, he couldn't move his head for about three hours.

So, considering that, he had decided to wander around for a little bit. Now he decided to go to the front room, since he had heard a new kid would be showing up soon.

'Might as well go say hi to the new kid.' The gamer thought, as he walked downstairs, to the large front room. There, he saw a young boy. He had white hair, and was dressed in a pair of white pajamas, along with clean socks.

Matt walked over to the kid, and saw he was hunched over a puzzle, swiftly putting different pieces where they belonged. He smiled down at the boy, then extended a hand.

"Hi there. My name's Matt." The boy looked up at him, before shaking his hand, then returning to his puzzle.

"My name is Near."

Mello walked down the hall, looking for his friend. The gamer was sprawled out on the floor with his game, so he was probably somewhere in the house. The blond boy knew his friend probably wouldn't talk to him for a while, but it wasn't his fault.

After all, he needed the plug to see what happened if you put electric currents in a potato.

But he probably should have at least told Matt he would be using the outlet. Then the gamer wouldn't have been so mad at him.

As soon as he reached the lower floor, he stopped. His best friend, his only friend actually, was sitting next to a kid wearing a ridicules amount of white. Mello huffed and walked back upstairs. He was not going to apologies in front of another kid.

As fate would have it, Mello didn't apologies for a long time. Most of the time, all Matt was doing was sitting in the playroom playing his game, always sitting next to Near. At other times, he was asleep, or they were in class.

Then, to add insult to injury, the albino actually pushed him out of first place! Growling just at the thought of it, the boy angrily bit into his chocolate. As he did, a savage gleam popped into his eye.

"Trying to take my place here, sheepling? We'll see about that. We'll see if you can handle it." The boy laughed evilly, something that would make a certain person with a god-like personality's laugh look like a giggle, then he went to sleep.

Matt walked into the shared room, where he proceeded to plug his game in. He happened to glance over at his roommate, and noticed a creepy smile on his face. The boy turned and walked to his bed.

"It's better if you don't know, Matt." He told himself, as he laid down. He fell asleep quickly, his dreams revolving around a candy. M&M's of all things. It was a weird thing for him to dream.

A/N Okay, here's the second chapter. Now, to get at least one chapter up on all my others before the weekend. -Runs to a different story to type.-


	3. Chapter 3: The Beginning

A/N -Whacked by a crocodile.- Okay! I'm updating! And I'm sorry if it goes a little fast. -Dodges further whacking.-

A/N2: I'm a terrible author! I accidentally uploaded the same chapter twice! I'm sorry sorry, and I beg forgiveness from everyone! T-T

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing I tell you!

Chapter Two: The beginning

Mello sighed as he watched from a box in the toy room. The box, which had been made for the purpose of spying for him and Matt, was overlooking the whole play room. Small holes were placed in various locations, so that the boys could watch the other children.

Now Mello was watching Matt and Near. The two were sitting, Near doing one of his stupid puzzles, and Matt playing his video game. Munching on a chocolate bar, the blond boy sat in the box, trying to figure out how to get his friend back.

So far, however, he couldn't think of anything. Which made the boy angrier. As one of the top students, he should easily be able to think up a plan. Maybe the problem wasn't that he couldn't think of a plan, but that he couldn't think of a legal plan.

Yeah. That was it.

Suddenly, the boy grinned. He remembered a movie he had watched once. With a slightly chuckle, Mello leaned against the back of the box, which was against the wall. He just had to wait until the sheep left, and he could put his plan into action.

Near looked up, then around the room, his eyes resting on the box.

"Did that box just chuckle evilly?" He asked, curling some hair around his finger. The boy sitting next to him shrugged.

"Probably Mello." He said, focusing more on his game then the conversation.

"Right. . ." The albino said, before returning to his puzzle.

After the other two boys had left, Mello crawled out of the box. His plan had three steps. As long as he could get the timing right, it would work.

A few hours after everyone had gone to sleep, Mello climbed out of his bed, fully glad in his leather outfit. In one hand, he had a bottle of temporary hair dye. In the other, he had a red sock. This would be fun.

After easily getting down the halls, Mello was in front of the door to the laundry room. He carefully used a pokemon card he had 'borrowed' from one of the other kids to open the door. With a grin, he walked in and went straight to one of the washers.

Since the sheep's clothes were completely white, they had to be washed separately. Apparently, the washer had just been started. It was on a timer. The boy swiftly slipped the socks into the washer, then exited the room.

Now was the more dangerous part. Mello carefully test Near's door. To his surprise, it was open. With a grin, the older boy slipped into the boys room, carefully shutting the door behind him.

Mello walked carefully into the room, avoiding the toys on the ground. There was a ridiculous amount of puzzles, dice, and legos.

After much of this, the he finally reached the other boy's dresser. Carefully slipping it open, he looked around swiftly. There! He successfully grabbed a bottle of shampoo.

The boy mixed the shampoo and the dye together, carefully filling the dye bottle back up so the boy wouldn't suspect anything. Then he left, once again careful not to trip on anything.

He wondered around the school, taking care not to be noticed by any teachers that happened to be out and about. After removing the socks so there would be no evidence, the boy yawned, and went to sleep.

The next morning, during breakfast, Mello saw his handiwork.

Near walked downstairs, wearing pink pajamas, and with pink hair. The pinkness of his outfit made him look even paler

All in all he looked like cotton candy with a face.

Almost every kid in the room laughed. Almost.

Near, of course, wasn't laughing. In fact, the kid looked close to tears.

Matt wasn't laughing, he was running to Near and asking what happened.

Strangely enough, the only other kid who wasn't laughing was Mello. He felt. . . Guilty. Which was something he normally didn't feel. He hadn't meant for the other kids to laugh, he had meant for Matt to stop hanging out with Near.

"Shut Up!" Everyone turned to stare at him. Mello? Being nice?

"You're all give me a headache." The boy grumbled, folding his arms.

Everyone returned to their food. They all knew better then to mess with Mello.

Mello sighed, before getting up and dumping his tray. He was done eating. Pushing whatever feelings of guilt he had left out of the way, he began to plan the next attempt to get Near away from his Matt.

Waitaminute.

Did he just say his Matt? Why would he say that? It's not like he cared for the boy other then as a friend. His only friend, but a friend nevertheless.

Mello decided his plans could wait. He had to go lay down.

A/N . . . I had writers block. I wrote anyway. Don't ask about the ending. The story did that to itself.


	4. Chapter 4: Bucket of doom

A/N To make up for my horrible authoring, you get the next chapter today! -Whacked.- I deserved that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I can only dream.

After much thought, Mello could only think of one reason why he would think about Matt as his.

He was in love with the gamer.

Thinking back, he remembered all the times his friend had made him smile, just by being there, all the times his heart had burst into joy just by making him smile. Admittedly, his feelings had changed from when they two first met.

He wanted his friend back more then ever now. He just had to think of a way to do it.

Matt sighed as walked with the still pink haired Near through the store. He knew exactly who pulled the prank on Near. It was Mello. But why would he bother? Normally he didn't go out of his way to pull a prank on new kids. He let them get settled first.

So why was he pranking Near, not two days after he got there? Thinking about it, the gamer decided that it was probably because he kicked him out of first. It couldn't be anything else, could it?

Oh well, he was here to get some stuff to get the pink out of Near's hair, not think of his friends actions.

Mello grinned as he decided on his next prank. The first thing the boy did was go out to the garage and grab a bucket. Then he went to the kitchen, where most of the things he needed were.

He swiftly opened the fridge and dropped in a huge glop of Mayo. Then he put in some leftover chili, and dumped in some shelled oysters. Next into the bucket went some anchovies. It was followed by creamed corn mixed with mash potatoes and peas. Finally he dumped in some wasabi. Trying not to puke at the smell, the boy brought the mixture to his room.

He added some used and cut up sweat socks, and some spoiled milk he had grabbed a few days ago. Now he dragged it outside.

The boy dug swiftly, and when he got deep enough, he pulled out some worms and added them into the mix.

Next, he put in some fresh dirt, then a bit of pond algae. Then he added some water. The boy grabbed a branch and started to mix the content, coughing at the foul smell. It was just about ready. He just needed to do one last thing.

After a few minutes in the oven on warm, the mixture smelled worse then a skunk. With a sadistic smirk, he went to Near's room, knowing he wasn't there. The boy had been wearing gloves for everything, and had tucked his long blond hair in a hat. Climbing carefully onto a chair, the boy placed the bucket in Near's room, so that when he walked in it would fall.

Then he went into his room, which was right across from his targets room, and watched out of a peephole.

Near waved farewell to Matt as he went to his room. They had bought some shampoo specially made for those kinds of pranks, and the pink would be out of his hair before he went to sleep.

The albino noticed something strange. His door was just barely open. Sighing, he carefully opened the door, only to have the bucket of doom fall on him.

It's contents, which had been thoroughly mixed, completely covered him. He coughed at the horrible stench, then spit as some dripped off his nose into his mouth. It tasted terrible. His eyes widened as a worm dropped off his head to dangle in front of his eyes. Near hated worms, due to cans of them falling on him when he was a baby. The boy screamed.

Matt had witnessed the event, and he ran to get Roger. If Mello (it was obvious to the gamer who it was) continued with these pranks, making them worse and worse, Near would eventually get hurt. Why was his friend doing this to the poor kid? It was extreme, even for Mello.

The gamer walked into the room later that night, finding Mello sitting on his bed, munching on chocolate as if nothing happened.

"What's your problem Mello? I know the kid kicked you out of first, but isn't this a little much?" He said coldly, glaring at his friend. The blond boy glared angrily at him.

"You are so naïve Matt! You can't even see the truth!" He said, not yelling like he usually did.

"So I'm stupid now because I'm third? Fine then, don't even bother talking to me anymore! I'm to dumb!" The red head grabbed his pillow and blanket.

"Where are you going?" His now ex friend asked.

"To Near's room. He doesn't have a roommate yet." Matt slammed the door, and walked across the hall. The boy on the other side answered with a shout.

"Go away!" Matt sighed and opened the door. Closing it behind him, he looked at Near, who was sitting on his bed crying. Looking up, the albino sniffled, then turned away. Matt walked over to him.

"Hey, stop crying kid. I'll try and get Mello to lay off, okay?" He said, smiling softly.

Near nodded.

"Thank you Matt. I would appreciate. Did you need to stay here?" He said, eyeing the pillow and blanket.

The gamer nodded. "If it's not to much trouble, yeah." The albino gestured to the other bed.

"Go ahead." He said, before laying down. Matt made the bed and crawled in.

"Night Near."

"Goodnight Matt."

Meanwhile, in the other room, Mello was laying on his side. If you looked at him you would see the occasional movement of his shoulders as he sobbed. Mello may have had a wall surrounding him from al but his friends, but even he could feel. Now he cried silently, letting the tears fall onto his pillow. He wanted his Matt back. More then anything else in the world.

A/N -Cries because of ending.-


	5. Chapter 5: A step up

A/N Updating before I get whacked again! And because I want to see the end of this story. I already know how it's going to end. But I need one. More. Prank! Help an author out? Please?

Disclaimer: Near: The authoress owns nothing. If she did, maybe she would be less cruel to me. T-T

Chapter 5: A step up.

Mello woke up early, just so he could contemplate his next prank. He had to get Matt away from that stupid sheep. So far he had tried to get Matt to get away from the boy. It hadn't worked. It hadn't worked at all. He had just managed to push his friend even further away.

So, Mello decided to focus on getting Near away from Matt. It shouldn't be to hard. All he had to do was leave a warning with the prank. Then Near would get the idea, and his Matt would talk to him again! With a dark chuckle the boy stood up and dug some money out of his bank. He had some shopping to do.

"What are you getting all this for?" The cashier asked, studying the list of what he had wrung up. Several rolls of duct tape, fifty yards of anchor line, and about half a yard of fabric.

"I'm doing a school project on how much the fabric can hold. I picked duct tape because it can be used for fixing things after the project is done." The blond said with a smile. The cashier just nodded as he took the money and gave the boy his change.

"Whatever."

Matt sighed as the spiky-haired character in his game screamed "Objection!"

His thoughts weren't on the game, though he easily kept playing. His thoughts were focused on Mello. What was up with his friend? He didn't normally target one kid like this, or pull pranks this extreme.

Thinking about the night before, the gamer sighed. He doubted that Mello thought he was stupid, but why had he called him naive? The boy was doing this to Near because he had taken his place for first, wasn't he? Or was it something different.

Thinking, Matt realized something. Near was different from the other kids at Wammy's in two ways.

The first was that he had risen above the ranks almost instantly. He was a genius among geniuses. Because of that, he had kicked Mello down to second, and himself down to third.

The second and less obvious (To Matt) was that Near was friends with him. Normally he was only friends with Mello. However, because Mello and Matt were fighting, Matt made friend with Near. Was that why?

Matt sighed as he leaned on his pillow. He knew he was Mello's only friend, but wasn't this a bit much?

Near sighed as he carefully balanced die after die onto the pile. He was scared, which was no surprise. He had been pranked twice already, and the boy had a feeling it wouldn't stop any time soon. Why was he being pranked anyway? He hadn't done anything wrong, had he?

Was it because of his rank? No, that wouldn't be it. Nobody in the house could be that competitive. Oh well. At least he had his new friend Matt to turn to.

Suddenly the boy smelled something sweet. He felt a cloth being pressed to his mouth and nose. The boy struggled, but he felt an arm wrap around his own, holding them to his sides. Near struggled a bit more, before feeling himself pass out. He leaned back in the arms of his captor, wondering why this was happening to him.

Mello smiled as he felt the boy go unconscious in his arms, but as he set him down, he felt a twinge of guilt. Near was younger then him, and now that he was asleep, he was perfectly relaxed. People look younger and smaller when they sleep, as Mello had found out.

Shaking the guilt away, he grabbed one of the rolls of duct tape and started to tape his victims arms to his sides. After he was done, he taped the boys legs together, continuing until he was completely wrapped in duct tape, save his head.

Then he did it again to make it that much harder for the boy to get out, this time duct taping over his mouth to.

Half of the plan complete, Mello carefully tied one end of rope to the boys ankles, then he tied a different piece of rope around the boy's chest. With careful aim, he threw the other toe ends (which had fishing weights.) over the rafters. Then he pulled the ropes, hoisting the boy up. He swiftly tied the ends to each of the beds.

Now for the message. The boy carefully grabbed a pencil and wrote "Stay away!" on the door, before leaving the room.

Matt walked into the room he was sharing with Near for the time being, and gasped when he saw a squirming albino in a duct tape cocoon, tied up to the rafters. The boy stared for a second.

"Wait here!" With that, he ran out of the room.

Near would have sighed if his mouth wasn't duct taped. If he could move, he wouldn't be in this mess, would he?

Matt returned to the room with a knife. Then, he carefully cut the rope on one side, making sure to grab the rope. Repeating on the other side, he lowered the boy down until he was back on the ground, then abandoned the roped and started making a slit in the tape.

Then, before the boy got his hands loose, Matt reached over and ripped the tape covering his mouth off, getting a painful yelp from the boy.

"Sorry." He muttered, before going to work on the rest of the tape. This would be a long night.

The teachers of Wammy's were anything but stupid. The knew something was going on when Matt and Mello stopped hanging out, and when Near came to breakfast as cotton candy, but they didn't know to what extent the pranking had gone.

Matt had kept the last two pranks a secret to protect his friend.

He had also gotten rid of the message. Who or what Mello wanted Near to stay away from, he had no idea.

Wait, that wasn't true. He did have a bit of an idea.

If it was he himself, then he had to find out why. And he had to find out soon, before Near got hurt.

A/N Here you go! Fifth chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Tumble time

A/N Gahh. . . Stupid writers block. Okay, so I'm going to try and type up the next chapter. Don't hurt me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all. Say other wise and you'll get stabbed with a rusty spork.

Chapter 6: Tumble time

Mello sighed as he sat at the top of the stairs. Nothing so far had worked. He had pulled prank after prank on the albino, but the idea still hadn't been put into his mind. With a small grin, Mello stood and started back to the store. He had things to buy.

Matt sighed as he plugged his game in to be charged. He had been so focused on playing it, he had forgotten about charging it the night before. As a matter of fact, he didn't stop playing it. He didn't want to think about reality. Now, he was being forced to

Turning, the red head walked down the hallway, thinking to himself. He had to figure out a way to stop Mello from pulling his next prank, but how? Get rid of the next trap? No, Mello had been above him for a reason. If he didn't want his traps caught, they wouldn't be.

The boy sighed as he leaned against a wall. He felt himself slide down until he was sitting on the floor. He was tired from his lack of sleep. Sighing, he felt his eyes flutter shut. He fell to the floor, already to deep asleep to notice.

Mello blinked when he saw his friend sleeping on the floor. Biting his lip, he set the large bucket holding all the things he had bought down, and walked over to Matt. His friend hated sleeping on the floor, it always made him wake up hurting. They couldn't have that, could they?

And hour later, Near was walking down the same hall the other two boys had gone down. He had decided not to stay in one place to long, as that would lead to him being pranked, somehow.

Studying the stairs, the albino blinked as he saw an obviously fake banana peel. Was that the next prank? If so, it was pathetic. He stepped over the peel, wondering why that was all there was.

And the true prank began.

A bucket of water dumped on the boy, making him squeeze his eyes shut. It was clear the water had soap in it. Stumbling, he slid on the top step, and felt his feet slip from under him, sending him down the stair. He would have screamed, but the air had been pushed from his lungs.

He felt himself land on something wood, that began rolling. Opening his eyes, he saw the roof, but he turned swiftly to see he was heading for a ramp.

The sheet of wood, attached to a pair of skate boards, swiftly rolled down the large ramp that had replaced the stairs. It slammed to a stop at the end of the next hallway, sending Near flying straight out an open window. Luckily for the boy, a pile of leaves was there to catch him.

The albino blinked as he self evaluated himself. Nothing was broken, although he would be bruised black and blue soon. Sighing, he nestled down in the leaves, thankful that they were there.

Matt blinked awake. Sitting up, he looked around. He was in his own room, his DS was plugged into the wall, and nothing strange seemed to be going on. Had it all been a dream? Peering out the door, he got his answer as a ruffled Near walked down the hallway, covered with leaves. His face and hands was purplish, bruised.

"N-Near, what happened?" He asked, shocked. The albino boy blinked and looked at him.

"Banana peels, soapy water, skateboards and leaves." He said. "That is what happened." Then he turned and walked to his room. Matt was just about to leave, when Mello walked up, opening the door.

"Oh. You're awake." The blond said, grinning.

"'You're awake?' That's all you have to say?" The gamer glared at his once friend.

"What the hell Mello? All you do is harass Near. Could you do me the honor of explaining to me why? Is it because he took your precious first place spot?" There was pause. Mello opened his mouth to talk, than closed it.

"Don't you dare call me naïve again! Just tell me. Why do you hate Near? Or are you that coldhearted?

Mello shot a death glare at his friend.

"Cold hearted? You're calling me cold hearted? I brought you in here because I know you don't like sleeping on the floor. If you would just figure out the reason I'm doing this, maybe you'd understand!" The blond said, storming out of the room.

Matt blinked in shock. What the hell had just happened?

A/N This is what happens when someone with Author's block writes. -_-


	7. Chapter 7: Finale

Disclaimer: I own nothing! All law suits will be burned. Thank you.

Chapter 7: The finale

A/N This is the last chapter. Please don't kill me! I have no more ideas for pranks, and I think you all want to see where this ends up. Without further interruption, on with the story!

Matt sighed as he leaned against the window, game on the ledge. He didn't feel like playing it, which was a first for the gamer. Normally he loved losing himself in the worlds his game created. However, he just couldn't focus. A sad, confused, lost, and downright useless cloud had settled over the boy, like the dark storm clouds settling over the orphanage.

The last prank Mello pulled had been harder to cover up. Near was terrified, although his monotone face didn't show much. Only the rare flicker of fear in his eyes showed it. At least, that's all that showed it on his expression.

His actions showed it a bit more clearly. The boy only sat with his back to the wall, and carefully studied everything about a room before he walked in. He rarely used the stairs, only when he was going down them after he woke up, or coming up to go to sleep. He always locked his door and thoroughly checked his bed before going to sleep.

Matt didn't blame the poor kid, though. After everything his frie- EX friend had put him through, he would have been terrified too.

Near sat on his bed, arm tight around his knees, which were pulled to his chest. The young boy had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. He didn't want to sleep; he was afraid Mello would do something worse to him.

The boy had sat awake like this ever since the prank with the bucket. He had also built a huge fort of legos' around his bed, and against his door. The pranks had gone from simple, to actually being made to injure him. What would the blond boy do next?

Mello paced back and forth in his room. He had to find out a way to get Matt back. It had been so long since they talked without yelling at each other, and he felt a hollow place in his chest. He had to think of a way to get the sheep out of the orphanage, then he could apologies to Matt, and everything would be okay.

He knew he had to hurt the boy, and he felt a slight twinge of guilt about that, but got rid of it. If Near was in a hospital, he wouldn't be with Matt all the time and Mello could get him back. But what? How could he hurt him enough to make him go to the hospital?

He knew of one way. It was sure to send him to the hospital, as long as he did it right. He just had to aim carefully. The boy carefully walked over to his bed and pried one of the floor boards up, then shoved it away. He dug around until he found a shoebox, then quickly pulled it out from under the bed and set it on his lap.

He studied the box, not having opened it in ages. It was something his mother had given him before she died, to make sure he was always protected. She had taught him to use it properly, and he would occasionally go practice still. Only one person knew about it, besides himself.

He opened the box and reached in, hand wrapping around a hand gun. This would make sure the little sheep was sent to the hospital. He just had to wait for the right time.

Tonight. When the albino was asleep. That would work perfectly.

During dinner, Mello watched the younger boy eat quickly, then run up the stairs to his room. He knew exactly what the kid had done to keep him out, adding all the legos, but he knew a way around it. All he had to do was open the door carefully enough so that the lego wall moved with it.

The boy quickly finished his own dinner, then walked casually to the stairs. He glanced out the window and saw that it had finally started raining. Not only was it raining, it was storming. He watched as a lightning bolt shot across the sky. A little while later, a loud crash of thunder rang. He couldn't help but think it was fitting.

Matt watched as Mello walked up the stairs. Something about the way he was walking made him know something was off. His hand dangled down next to his waist, though his arms were normally crossed. Matt had only seen him act like that once.

_(Flashback.)_

_A nine year old Mello and eight year old Matt walked down the hallway. They had heard a voice coming from the floor below them, so they decided to investigate. Mello had grabbed something from under his bed, and his hand was near his waist, which Matt found strange._

_The two finally got to the bottom of the stairs and peeked around to see the source of the voices. The two boys peeked around and saw two figures. The were both in masks and holding sacks. The were also holding guns. Matt gave a slight whimper and hid behind Mello. _

_The robbers, unfortunately, heard the whimper. One turned to them. _

"_Who's there?" He demanded, holding his gun at the source. In a flash Mello had pulled his own gun out and fired a shot. It hit directly where he aimed it; the robbers knee. The other one turned. _

"_What the he- AHH!" He fell down next to his friend, his knee cap shattered as well._

"_How'd you do that?" Matt asked as he peeked out from behind his friend. The older boy put the gun back under his shirt, tucked into the waist of his pants._

"_My mom taught me how." He said as the teachers and most of the students came to see what was going on._

"_I had a feeling I was going to need it."_

_(End Flashback.)_

Matt paled as he recalled what had happened. Mello wasn't going to. . . shoot Near. Was he? The red headed gamer ran upstairs. He had to stop him!

The boy twisted around the stairs, stumbling a bit as he ran. He saw his friend kneeling in front of Near's door. Picking the lock, judging from the fact that he was studying the door knob.

"Mello! Stop!" He called, sliding to a stop. His friend just looked at him.

"No." Matt glared at his friend. He ran up to the boy and pulled him away, pushing him away from the door and pinning him against the wall next to it.

"I don't give a crap what you have against Near. You WILL tell me and we WILL solve this without anymore pranks. Don't you dare call me naïve don't you dare lie to me. Just tell me why you are so ticked off about Near!" He said, staring into the blonde's eyes. He noticed something, a wetness. Was Mello. . . crying?

"You want to know so bad?" The normally loud boys voice was a whisper. Matt blinked and nodded.

"You." Matt blinked and stepped back, letting Mello go. The blond boy stood up and took a step towards him. Matt stepped back too, shocked. They went on like this until Matt was the one against the wall.

"I haven't seen you away from him since he moved here! I've wanted to apologies to you! I've wanted to be friends again! But the only time you've been alone with me, you were talking about him!" Mello said, grabbing the younger boys shoulders and shaking him slightly.

"You haven't even paused," he continued, "to give a crap about what I've been feeling! I've actually _cried _over this! Damnit, can you see yet? I freaking love you!" The blond instantly stopped, staring at his friend's wide eyes. He had only meant to say he missed him. But now, judging by his friend's expression, he'd never get him back.

"Mello. . ." The red head said. Then he wrapped his arms around the other boys shoulder, pulling him close. Their lips touched softly. It was Mello's turn to be shocked. He blinked, as he felt the boy kiss him, then slowly fell into the kiss, wrapping his arms around the other's waist. His eyes fluttering close.

At that exact moment, the lights went out and the two broke away, both blushing and both thankful that the other couldn't see that.

"So. . . Do you want to go out with me Mells?" Matt asked. After all, his friend had just told him he loved him, and then he kissed him.

"No." Mello said. Staring at his friend's face he said, "I'd love to go out with you."

**(Epilogue.) **

**That's how Mello and Matt became more then friends. Nobody knew, of course, expect Near. Matt had explained to him why that was happening, then made Mello apologies to him and say he wouldn't pull massive pranks on him again. Mello had to be bribed with large amounts of chocolate and kisses before he agreed.**

A/N It's done! Sorry for the long wait, I had to kill my writers block. I hope you enjoyed the story!


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